Curse of the Werewolf Ride Review: Dark Universe (2025 Guide)
Dark Universe's spinning coaster is a stunning achievement in theming and intensity, but is the experience over too soon?
ORLANDO, FL – In the misty, monster-filled world of Epic Universe’s Dark Universe, there is an attraction that promises a frantic, disorienting chase for survival. Curse of the Werewolf, the land’s signature spinning roller coaster, is a stunning achievement in immersive storytelling and a genuinely thrilling ride. It also might be over before you’ve had a chance to fully process the terror. After several rides since the park's opening, this is our official review.
The journey begins with what is, without a doubt, one of the best queues Universal has ever designed. The experience starts on a lonely path that winds away from the main village of Darkmoor and deeper into a foggy, overgrown forest. The atmosphere is immediately unsettling, with distant howls and the unsettling quiet of the woods replacing the sounds of the park. Guests pass by claw-marked trees and abandoned campsites before discovering a cursed Romani camp, where the backstory of the werewolf terrorizing the village is masterfully revealed. The queue is not a line; it is a story, a masterclass in building narrative tension that sets the stage perfectly for the escape to come.
After boarding the rustic "wagon" ride vehicles, the coaster begins a slow, suspenseful climb. At the top, the vehicle begins to spin, and you are sent hurtling into the dark forest. The ride experience itself is fantastic. The spinning coaster system is used to its full effect, creating a feeling of complete chaos and disorientation as you whip around turns and dive through the trees. At key moments, you come face-to-face with a massive, snarling werewolf animatronic that appears to be leaping right at your wagon. It is a frantic, dizzying, and genuinely thrilling chase.
However, the primary critique of this otherwise brilliant attraction is its duration. From the top of the lift hill to the final brake run, the core ride experience is brutally short, clocking in at likely less than 90 seconds. After a long and incredibly detailed queue that can take 15-20 minutes to walk through even without a wait, the brevity of the ride itself can feel jarring and slightly anticlimactic. Just as the terror reaches its peak, the wagon is already spinning into the safety of the unload station.
This raises the central question for any guest looking at a potential 90-minute wait time: is it worth it? The answer is a complicated "yes." The quality of the experience, from the immersive queue to the intense coaster, is undeniable. It is a must-do attraction at Epic Universe. However, guests should go in with the correct expectations. This is not a long, sprawling epic like VelociCoaster; it is a short, violent burst of adrenaline.
In conclusion, Curse of the Werewolf is a world-class attraction that is held back from perfection by its frustratingly short ride time. It is a stunning achievement in theming and a genuinely intense thrill, but it leaves you wanting more. It is a ride that perfectly embodies the creature it's based on: a terrifying, unforgettable encounter that is over in a flash, leaving you breathless and wondering what just happened.
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